Just when you thought your bulging wallet couldn't bear another piece of plastic, Telecom Eireann has come out with a new ChargeCard. Cheaper than most payphones, mobile services and hotel telephone services, the main drawback to Telecom's latest marketing attempt to keep its customers from drifting to the new competition is the many numbers you will need to dial to make a call. To use the ChargeCard, which Telecom is encouraging its customers to take out at no initial charge, you must first enter a freefone access number which comes with your card. This can be anything from six to 11 digits. You then key in your seven-digit card number and your four-digit PIN. You then dial the number you want which includes the international area code, the city code and local number perhaps as many as 12 more numbers. In all you may need to dial 34 different digits. Get one wrong and you have to start all over again.
A typical five-minute call from Dublin to Limerick using the new ChargeCard will cost £1.38 rather than £2.40 from a Telecom payphone a saving of £1.02. But even higher savings apply for long distance calls: it will cost £5.46 to make a five-minute call from the US rather than £10.47 from a payphone, £7.70 from a mobile and £13.91 from a typical hotel room.
All Telecom customers should receive a ChargeCard brochure and application form this month. For more information about the ChargeCard, call freefone numbers 1904 and 1 800 580500.
